Thursday, January 31, 2013

Marathon Virgins... Virgin marathon?

D - runs for the last week were four 5 mile runs at 9 minute miles, then a 10 mile run at 8:45 pace. Some how, despite some long, long days at the office, I'm keeping up with Jantastic - even if it means finishing my runs as the gym closes.

Between work and turning 30, it's been a crazy month (Speaking of which, my gifts were very running centered, and awesome. There will be many updates on those toys to come in the future.)

In the mean time - a very fast friend of mine invited Charlotte and I to join him and other people to go to London for the 2014 Virgin Marathon. I'm not saying we're going... my mind might already be there... as in I started to figure out how I could get in.

There are the standards - good for age (3:10 for me), charity fund raising and Lottery (but you have to be a UK citizen). However, a cool addition to the normal means of entry is through a tourist agency. That was how I came across MarathonTour.com. Not the cheapest way to do it ($845 per person + flights), but at least all the travel arrangements are taken care of - and in some ways better than the 500 dollar marathon (if you were in the canceled NYC marathon, apparently you can either get your money back, or forfeit the money in exchange for a spot next year... but you still have to pay the entrance fee again.)

So yes - the London would be fun... but how about a race in Antarctica? okay, that one is sold out until 2017.
Or how about a race in Australia that starts with the solar eclipse? - okay, that one was a one time thing last year.
But they do have a Big Five Marathon that is through a nature preserve in South Africa, one that goes around Easter Island, and of course the organize for Boston, Athens, Tokyo, Comrades... the list goes on. Pretty much the coolest tour company I've heard of, even though I know next to nothing about them.